


Refridgerator Art

by notjustmom



Series: Box of 64 [25]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Established Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, M/M, Parentlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-31 00:41:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10888299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustmom/pseuds/notjustmom
Summary: Once again inspired by a sweet comic by Ashleybear-hat on tumblr.





	Refridgerator Art

"Da?"

"Uhmhmm?"

"What is that?"

"It's, well, you know how some people have baby books?"

Rosie nodded and sat on the couch next to him, then peered into the box he was going through.

"Well, you have, you could call it, more of an archive."

"I have an archive?"

"This is box three of, how old are you again?"

Rosie rolled her eyes at him, then laughed. "You know I'm twelve."

"Twelve years, three months and thirteen days to be exact - there are twelve boxes."

"Twelve boxes? What's in that one?"

"This is mostly your 'refridgerator art.' Once you had your first box of crayons, you were unstoppable, especially once you turned three, you drew every day. I could never throw any of it away."

"You mean, this is every drawing -"

Sherlock nodded. "Every night, after you'd gone to bed, I'd take down that day's work and file it away, so it was ready for your new batch in the morning. I would sit across from you at that little table, remember? You would spend hours some days, just trying out the colours, babbling away, and then you were suddenly speaking, real words, complete sentences. I wrote it down - where is it - probably at the end of your second box, but just before you turned three, it was as if a switch had been flipped on - and I realized how much you had listened to me, as I spoke to you, your Papa always thought I talked to you too much, but I knew, I knew you were listening."

"I always listened, Da. Even when you think I don't, even now, especially now." She snuggled into his shoulder and he closed the box, and laid it aside, then wrapped his arm around her and kissed her blonde curls.

"I know, Ro."

 

John came home from the shops an hour later to find them sound asleep. He saw the box next to Sherlock and shook his head. He put the shopping away, then picked up the box and sat down in his chair. He had forgotten about Sherlock's 'archive' since it was now stored away in 221C because it had taken so much space in their bedroom. He lifted the lid and took a deep breath, somehow the scent of Rosie's early childhood lingered in the scrawls and first attempts at writing. He picked out one drawing, a simple drawing of him and Sherlock, with Rosie between them, all in blue, her favourite blue green, she always wore that colour out the fastest, luckily they had found a way to just order boxes of single colours. He blinked and realized he had been sitting there for an hour, just remembering that time, before school, before everything changed, he knew they were lucky, Rosie was considerate and sweet as twelve year olds go, but she was still twelve, growing up too fast. He shook his head, put the box off his lap and slowly got to his feet. He carried the fragile drawing into the kitchen and wondered at how clean their fridge door was, it used to be covered in her drawings, her short stories, her little notes she would write to them. He opened a drawer and dug out a magnet, then carefully placed the drawing between the note Sherlock had left that morning reminding him they were almost out of chocolate biscuits and the mobile bill which needed paying. He sighed as he felt Sherlock's arms wrap around him, and felt his pointy chin rest on his shoulder.

"That was one of my favourites too."


End file.
